On The Job:

Pharmacist

I was always science-oriented. I've always enjoyed and done well in chemistry, biology, and math. I didn't do as well in English and the economics type of classes.

What's your educational background?

I graduated from Deerfield High School. While filling out college applications, I came across Drake University in Des Moines, which is very much into pharmacy-related fields. It was there that I attended the five-year pharmacy program. I received a bachelor of science in pharmacy. While I was in college I gained experience by working as a technician at Walgreen.

What is a technician?

A technician is someone who helps the pharmacist. They basically can do anything a pharmacist can do but they usually don't have the education and the knowledge required to check for drug interaction or to give customers proper information about medications.

What is a typical day like at Gentile?

I open the store. I get the prescriptions (from customers) and read them. A technician types the prescriptions into the computer. I evaluate prescriptions by closely looking at each one, observing the dosage, which is the strength of the medicine, and the frequency, which is the amount taken per day. If there is any special instructions, I give them to the customer. I look for any mistakes or potential problems; for instance, if there is a misprint of the dosage or frequency, or if the new medication interacts in a negative way with the customer's present medications. If I notice these types of errors I call the customer's doctor to clarify instructions. It's very stressful because you're always worried about making a mistake, especially in a high-volume store. You've got to really trust your co-workers. I think the stress comes from knowing if you make a mistake you can actually hurt someone.

What is the best thing about your job?

The satisfaction of just helping people. I think that's probably the biggest plus of my job. Customers always say they appreciate my services and show their trust by coming to me for advice. Many times people call or come to me before they will go to their doctor for advice. That makes you feel good. Also, it is a relatively well-paying field. You can come out of college making good money.

What's the worst thing?

Just the thought of making a mistake is horrible. In tjos day and age everyone wants everything perfect, but it's hard. If instead of twice a day, you hit four times a day or three times a day on the computer, you could hurt someone. I have made a mistake before, but I never hurt anyone. Luckily, most people are aware enough to know what their medicine is, but it's very scary. You go home thinking, `Did I do that right?'

How is your job affected by the growth of chains?

They do affect us, but we are involved in a little bit of a niche with mail order and we do pretty good business. We have a very large client base that keeps us afloat. The chains do hurt, but one thing about this area is that it's pretty heavily populated, and there's really not much room for chains to come in, so we're pretty much protected by the surrounding homes because we're in a neighborhood that's already built up. There are not many retail storefronts or places where big chains could come in. It comes down to location. We have had a Dominick's and a Walgreen's open up pharmacies close to us, and we have lost a little business due to that.

What attributes are essential for doing your job well?

Patience. And empathy: You have to have empathy and put yourself in the patients' shoes. It's not that easy because everyone thinks his or her problem is unique. Also, you've got to keep up on your education. That's very important because this field is constantly changing. Every two years you have to complete 30 hours of continuing education.

What advice would you give to people interested in this field?

If you are going to be a pharmacist and you are going to college for it, definitely try to get experience and knowledge beforehand. Try to figure out which (aspect of the field) you want to go into. Do you want to work in a hospital, retail, nuclear pharmacy or sales?

What opportunities are there for advancement?

I have a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy, but there's also a doctor of pharmacy, which was a six-year degree when I was in college. Now, I think that most of the people coming out today are actually getting a doctor of pharmacy. I think it's more for people who are geared toward clinical work, not retail. There is not much room for advancement in retail. You're pretty much stuck where you are unless yougo into business for yourself, or if you work for a chain like an Osco or a Walgreen's, you can get into management and there's an upper level in that.